The story of the woman caught in adultery has always baffled me, does it you? John 8 records the familiar story of a woman flung at Jesus’ feet by a group of men who were trying to trap Him and kill her. I always wonder, where was the man? Obviously, you can’t commit adultery alone. How did they get caught “in the act”? How did these men know exactly where to find this couple and how was it that they were caught at just such a time that her accusers would be in close proximity to Jesus in order to drag her to Him so easily?

This feels like a set-up to me.

Jesus, certainly knew the hearts of everyone involved and He did something interesting. He began writing in the dirt. The Bible doesn’t say what he wrote, but whatever it was it made those scheming, murderous, self-righteous men sheepishly slip into the crowd. Some commentators suggest that Jesus was writing the sins of those particular people one by one.

No one likes to have their hypocrisy exposed, even if it’s just to their own hearts. It’s interesting that John chapter 8 begins with men trying to kill this woman and ends with that same group trying to kill Jesus.

We have to be careful that we don’t just pass judgment on these men without searching our own hearts. Better yet, lets pray with David, “Search me, God, and know my heart.” We may find that we are confronted with hypocrisy of our own. How much better to have God point out our sin so that we can deal with it in private before it becomes a public embarrassment.

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Reading Plan–Week Sixteen

Day One–John 8
Day Two–John 9
Day Three–John 10
Day Four–John 11
Day Five–John 12